A REVIEW of a multi-million pound flagship library for Hampshire has been branded a "deplorable lost opportunity".

The county council is backtracking from controversial plans to refurbish the city library in Jewry Street and is now seeking alternative sites.

The £3 million scheme has reached a stalemate between the county council and Winchester City Council over the controversial issue of parking spaces.

City bosses were concerned the proposed expansion of the 19th century building would cut the number of spaces available in its public car park, a hot political issue.

The impasse led to fears that the project may be shelved but now the leaders of the two authorities say they will explore more cost-effective plans.

Today the Labour group leader on the city council attacked the review as a wasted chance, possibly for ever.

Patrick Davies said: "It is a tragedy for Winchester that the warring factions of county Tories and city Liberal Democrats have destroyed the chance of a magnificent new library at this key site.

"We were shown marvellous new plans over a year ago and the work could now have been started if only this childish dispute had been settled.

"Both groups are suffering from an apparently irrational and incurable addiction to preserving car parking spaces, however much damage they do to the environment."

The leader of Hampshire County Council, Councillor Ken Thornber, said: "The development of a flagship library for Winchester has been one of the priorities for the city.

"However, the constraints of the current site are significant.

"So far the options would cost far more than the funding available.

"The cost of extending the Jewry Street site would pay for two new schools.

"It is therefore proposed to review existing options and look at alternative sites for the development of the city's library facilities."

Although the council is remaining tight-lipped over those sites, they include land next to Hampshire Record Office and the former cattle market site on Worthy Lane.

The sale of the Jewry Street and North Walls reference library sites would generate a multi-million pound sum.

The new proposals were welcomed by the leader of the city council, John Steel.

He said: "I am personally grateful to the county council for the time taken to review the suggestions that we made.

"The city council will do all it can to support the development of new library facilities."

Rodney Sabine, chairman of the city council's planning committee, said: "This is a county council scheme and we are always willing to talk to them. We are happy to look at other sites."

The county council hopes to produce a viability study on an alternative site by the middle of the year.